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Hungarian investigators have discovered large sums of cash hidden in several regions of the country. Some banknotes were buried in forests, while others were stored in agricultural buildings, warehouses, residential properties, and specially equipped safes. According to LETA, citing the Associated Press, the findings were made as part of an investigation into former Hungarian Minister of National Development Miklós Seszták, who held the position under Viktor Orbán. The operation took place on November 12 and 13 in Budapest and three counties in Hungary. According to the National Bureau for Asset Recovery and Protection, investigators found more than five billion forints, approximately 2.6 million euros, and 1.2 million dollars. In total, the value of the discovered money amounts to approximately 17.4 million euros. ### Eight Hours to Count the Cash The scale of the discovery required a separate operation to count the seized funds. According to Hungarian authorities, 12 employees of the State Treasury spent eight hours counting the banknotes using five counting machines. The discovered funds were transferred to the Hungarian State Treasury for safekeeping. ### What the Former Minister is Suspected Of Miklós Seszták, who served as Minister of National Development from 2014 to 2018, has been in custody since late September. He is suspected of receiving bribes totaling more than 33.8 million euros. The investigation is related to the procurement of buses for the state transport company and state construction projects. According to investigators, the corruption scheme may have been in operation during the time Seszták was part of Orbán's government. However, it has not yet been established to whom all the discovered money belonged. Seszták's lawyer emphasized that several suspects are involved in the case, and the investigators' statement does not mean that the entire found amount belonged to his client. The former minister himself denies committing any crimes. ### Magyar Declares the End of the "Fidesz Mafia" Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar called the discovery of the caches an important event in the investigation of alleged corruption under the previous government. > "This officially marks the end of the Fidesz-KDNP mafia," he wrote on Facebook, referring to the political coalition that was in power under Orbán. Magyar also called the former prime minister the head of a criminal system. These accusations are political statements from the current head of government, not established facts by the court. This officially marks the end of the Fidesz-KDNP mafia! More than 6 billion forints’ worth of cash, buried or otherwise concealed, was found and seized yesterday and today by the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH) as part of the criminal investigation into Miklós Seszták, a former minister in @PM_ViktorOrban's government. Here is the full statement of the NVVH: "On 12 and 13 November 2026, the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office carried out coordinated investigative operations at several locations across the country, including Budapest and Pest, Békés and Nógrád counties, as part of the criminal proceedings against Dr Miklós Seszták, former Minister of National Development. During the searches, investigators found large quantities of cash buried in forests, hidden in agricultural and warehouse buildings and in a residential property, as well as stored in a high-value safe at a hidden location. The total amount of cash recovered during the two-day operation was 5,071,632,000 forints, 2,658,350 euros and 1,257,100 US dollars. The cash was deposited with the Hungarian State Treasury by NVVH personnel today. The NVVH would like to thank the officers of the Criminal Technical Department of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Rapid Response Police for their assistance during the investigative operations, as well as the National Tax and Customs Administration and the Hungarian State Treasury for their cooperation."— Magyar Péter (Ne féljetek) (@magyarpeterMP) November 13, 2026 After the victory of Magyar's party "Tisza" in the parliamentary elections in April 2026, a series of investigations into former high-ranking officials began in Hungary. ### Investigations Also Target Orbán's Inner Circle The case against Seszták is not the only criminal proceeding related to representatives of the previous government. On October 21, former head of the National Bank of Hungary György Matolcsy was detained. His case concerns the management of assets of funds created under the central bank. Earlier, state auditors identified serious violations that resulted in a significant portion of the assets being lost. In November, police also detained the brother of former Prime Minister Áron Orbán on suspicion of human trafficking. Viktor Orbán himself rejects the accusations against his circle and characterizes the events as political persecution aimed at removing him from public life. Investigations are ongoing. Despite the scale of the discovered funds and the detentions of former officials, final conclusions about their guilt can only be drawn based on the results of judicial proceedings.
